Picaro Tapas in Bristol, City of

We had a delightful evening at Picaro - best Tapas in Bristol. Service was excellent and the food was delicious. Would definitely recommend and will be back.

We dined here on Wednesday evening ,had an amazing time literally felt like we were in the Mediterranean. Food is amazing and service really friendly.

We had a fantastic meal at Piceno - authentic Spanish food and feel and very friendly service. We’ll be back.

Visited this lovely Redland gem with a group of friends. Menu was extensive and the manageress helped us choose our choices. It was a delicious meal, full of flavour and authenticity. Didn’t have room for dessert but the options were great. Good value for money and absolutely worth it for a small slice of Spain in Bristol. 10/10. Would unreservedly recommend to all.

We visited here on a recommendation and we weren’t disappointed!! The menu is excellent offering a lot of different Tapas specialties that you wouldn't normally see on the high street. Excellent service and a beautiful touch of a happy birthday pudding. We are grateful for being told to stop at 6 dishes!! Highly recommend the Sardines on toast, Black pudding and the Aubergines!! Wonderful Spanish atmosphere with light music encouraging conversation!! Thank you for making my wife’s Birthday so special!!

heavenly food and lovely staff, would defo recommend !

Great genuine Spanish restaurant, my favourite restaurant in Bristol by far.

A little gem in Bristol. Delicious and freshly cooked tapas, in an authentic little Spanish restaurant. Service was impeccable, warm welcome, tapas served at a right pace, great for sharing (8 tapas for 4 + breads/dips was amply sufficient). Finished with crusty chouros. Very affordable as well (£20-30 pp including wine). Recommend +++

Excellent food & service. As soon as I come to Bristol, I go back. Everything is delicious, excellent value for money!

Excellent service, amazing food and a great atmosphere. I highly recommend the "Sevilla orange cake" for dessert

Absolutely wonderful family run authentic tapas restaurant. We had a wonderful evening here and didn't want to ever leave! The atmosphere is lovely, very homely and beautiful decor. Of course the food was amazing, plenty of vegetarian options and at a very reasonable price. Can't recommend this place enough. Thank you xx

Great place, authentic, gorgeous food, great service. Would definitely recommend!!!!

We went to Picaro for the first time on Friday and I would definitely go back. The staff were so friendly, the food was delicious and we had a lovely time!

Authentic Spanish tapas place. Small and cozy, nicely lit. We especially enjoyed ham croquetas and aubergine.

Alas I can not recommend Picaro and I'm not sure how it has secured so many positive reviews. Nice vibrant atmosphere and Cava was served in beautiful glasses. However the food was really disappointing and we will not be returning given the incredible competition and superb tapas available elsewhere in Bristol. The ''Santander squid'' was from frozen, a huge unappetising portion of orange, thickly breaded squid strips the colour and consistency of Birds Eye fish fingers - these were totally tasteless and rubbery. I think I have found the ones used today in Iceland? The waitress told us that this was how squid is cooked in Santander - a quick Google search confirms this not the case - the waitress tried to explain to us how breadcrumbs are used in the batter in Spain... The chorizo was microwaved... the sausage skins peeling and pink.... We could not eat the squid but nothing else was offered and no apology. Sainsbury’s/Tescos Spanish omelette microwaved - you can literally see the packaging marks on the edges, stale powdery bread and very basic, not homemade aioli - British supermarket mayo at best with garlic oil? Waitress asked if we’ve ever been to Spain… which we have rather often and eaten all of these dishes made from scratch there and in Bristol - of vastly higher quality. Alas. A rare disappointing experience.

Last night 🌙 ✨️ we had a fantastic evening the service was excellent 👌 clean environment and very nice friendly atmosphere all the staff were very welcome I highly recommend thanks 😊

Great evening, amazing host and staff and amazing food, what more could you ask for..

This is one of our new favourite restaurants! The food is incredible, reminds us of being in Barcelona. The wine and drinks menu is great. They've really done everything right here to give a proper authentic Spanish feel. We will 100% be back soon!

I booked out Picaro for my 21st birthday. It was the best evening I could’ve asked for with the staff being so accommodating and amazing service for the 30 guests. The food just kept coming and everything tasted amazing. Thank you so much Monica, I hope to return soon.

Amazing food and really cozy place, will definitely make this is a go to

This restaurant is a great find on Chandos Road. It has a cosy, intimate feeling and everything from the food, to the staff, to the wine is amazing. I would highly recommend eating here and will definitely be back - thanks so much for a lovely evening! Note: the 1 star review regarding the weekend booking is not an accurate representation of the lovely restaurant or the lovely staff. Of course, the restaurant is busy on a weekend. And, of course, you will have to turn up on time in order for the front of house and the kitchen staff to give you the best experience. It’s only fair on them. Credit to the restaurant for being so popular!

I recently had the unfortunate experience of dining at a tapas restaurant for a friend's birthday celebration, and I must say, it was far from the enjoyable evening we had anticipated. While the food itself was decent, the behavior of the restaurant staff left much to be desired. Upon arriving at the restaurant, we were promptly seated at our table, which we had booked for a two-hour time slot. Little did we know that this seemingly innocent reservation would become the source of constant stress and discomfort throughout the entire evening. From the moment we sat down, the staff made it their mission to remind us, at almost every possible opportunity, about the limited time we had left. It felt as though we were being rushed through our dining experience, leaving us no time to savor the flavors or engage in meaningful conversation. The constant pressure to order our food quickly made us feel nervous and on edge, completely ruining the celebratory mood we had hoped for. It is understandable that time restrictions may be necessary in a busy restaurant, and 2 of our friends joined us late at the table, but the manner in which it was handled was completely unacceptable. The staff's incessant reminders about our remaining time left us feeling unwelcome and undervalued as customers. In conclusion, I would strongly advise against dining at this tapas restaurant if you are seeking a relaxed and enjoyable experience. The unnecessary constant reminders about our limited time left us feeling anything but satisfied. The service charge was not added to our bill as a compensation. It is a shame that what should have been a memorable birthday celebration with friends turned into an evening of discomfort and disappointment. We will never be back!

Lovely restaurant, great service and evening

Had the best night here, fantastic service and food. Thank you so much!

Love this place , great food , fabulous wine , excellent service , great ambience. A little taste of Spain . Highly recommend . Will most definitely be returning . Thank you Picaro.

Amazing, authentic Spanish food. Resonable prices for tapas and very friendly serivce. The atmosphere both inside and at the garden round the back was lovely, would highly recommend. We managed to get a walk in reservation on a Friday too! Great spot for dinner with a date, friends or family.

Incredible, authentic spanish tapas. Would recommend!

The place feels authentic. Food is authentic, decor feels Spanish, even the font on the menu looks Spanish. And staff is kind. One suggestion is to have better ventilation in the restaurant as it can feel stuffy.

Gorgeous tapas, really friendly service and a very filling. Will definitely be returning !

A triple threat - thoughtful and attentive service, delicious and authentic food, and a lovely atmosphere - oh and great agua de Valencia!

Very good tapas in a lovely setting!

A lovely neighbourhood restaurant with authentic tapas. They catered for me really well as a coeliac, with plenty of gluten free options and taking care to avoid cross contamination (the owner's daughter is coeliac so she understands the importance of that). The food was delicious and they had a great wine selection too.

The croquettes were amazing! Delicious wine too and great churros.

Always start with the positives: excellent food, it really is delicious and the Estrella was very cheap and delicious. The place is nicely furnished and there is a really good vibe. The Spanish lady that owns the cafe is absolutely delightful and works tirelessly to make this place a success. However, through no ones fault, the service was poor and half our order didnt arrive until after we had eaten our other dishes. We werent offered deserts as it really was too late by then and I did feel the dishes were very expensive. I can see why people like this place but I did come away disappointed. Will try again next year

Absolutely splendid evening. The food was amazing, service friendly and atmosphere was great! An authentic Spanish tapas restaurant - really recommend. We had the croquetas (goats cheese) + (had croquetas) , patatas bracvas, aubergine, bread with tomato, sangria ! A great selection and recommend all dishes and drinks! A must try - great to support independents too

A fabulous addition to the food scene on Chandos Road. We sat in their outside space and had a glorious evening. A real example of food cooked from the heart. Huge range of tapas dishes and those we chose were brilliant. Great range of drinks. Helpful and friendly staff

Over priced, small portions and bad quality. For who knows what's a real Spanish food, that's no a place for it.

Monica is a lovely, friendly and attentive host, as are all the other members of staff. The food that we ordered was absolutely delicious, especially the croquetas, chorizo, aubergine, fabada and artichokes! All of Monica's wine and drinks suggestions were also spot on!

This place was a lovely find by a friend. Definitely book a table if you plan to visit! Food was delicious, nice wine too.

This place is delightful, the women that run it are a treasure

We went to Picaro just before their 1yr Anniversary!! It was a ladies night out and we had a fabulous time!! We were made to feel so welcome from the time of arrival and the hosts were super friendly. The food was excellent, authentic, flavourful, balanced, rich, delicious, I could go on!! The Sangria and Wine were stunning. And we just had a wonderful time!! We will be returning as a group, with our partners, friends and family and recommending to others. 💕

Lovely cosy atmosphere, family run with delicious authentic food. We felt very welcomed and shall be back!

Nice place with friendly staff, food was very average though

What a great place. Really good food and friendly service. Many thanks for a very enjoyable evening. Definitely one for a return visit.

Delicious food and a lovely ambiance. They were really accommodating and gave great recommendations. Will definitely be coming back!

The food was all incredible! The staff were amazing and you felt like you were in Spain. Highly recommended!

Not our best night out. People were lovely and very friendly. To us the choice of tapas was limited and quite expensive for what it was.

Absolutely delicious and authentic Spanish tapas with fabulous service. Would highly recommend and will definitely come again.

Very welcoming and lovely environment, with 12/10 food!! Highly recommend!!

We were a hen party of 16 people and Monica and her staff were more than accommodating. The food was incredible and plenty to go round all of us. The atmosphere was delightful, we felt very comfortable. We left feeling very full and satisfied!

Friendly tapas bar which works hard to recreate the authenticity of what you would find in Spain - and it pays off. The food was excellent and, even if you were unsure as we were on how tapas works, it eases you into the concept of sharing light dishes instead of a large meal to oneself. It's a family business, which all adds to the charm of this hidden gem. Would highly recommend without a doubt. ¡Muchísimas gracias!

Very very basic tapas and expensive for what we got. £27 for a small jug of sangria! One of the dishes brought out was literally just tomato sauce on bread.

The food was lush and the service was amazing too, super friendly and helpful. Woukd definitely recommend :)

Lovely restaurant, wonderful atmosphere, temperature and lighting. Such a buzz. Very attentive and friendly service but the ingredients could have been better quality. Quite overpriced for what it was. The food didn’t really feel “special”, but had the “Chandos” price tag

Lovely authentic pinxtos! Good atmosphere and service.

The ambience of a genuine cosy Northern Spanish home with heady aromas of food wafting into the room. We had multiple tapas all presented beautifully and mouth wateringly tasty. I could have eaten 3 plates of the anchovy and chilli plates myself. Generous portions and reasonably priced all washed down with a draft beer! Great place to meet friends and pick at delicious food all evening.

Great food - you can tell it comes from decent produce - and fantastic atmosphere. We had a warm welcome and the service was perfect. It’s a small place that really packs a punch in terms of ambiance. Try it!

I went on such an amazing date here - the atmosphere and food were amazing. Monica (the owner I think?) was very charismatic and made us feel so comfortable. Couldn’t recommend highly enough!

Had the nicest evening for my birthday. Amazing food and sangria, and outstanding service with the lovely owners and staff. Will definitely become a regular 🥰❤️

Went for an early Friday dinner when the only other ‘guest’ was a local cat also called Pícaro, enjoying the warm and welcoming atmosphere until she politely walked out the door 2min before the 7pm tables arrived. We knew we’d love this place from the moment we sat down at the high table by the window. Pícaro is like being at your Spanish friend’s home and their mum is cooking her best dishes for you. The owners are so warm and welcoming, and the food was exactly what we were hoping for - simple no fuss tapas made of the best ingredients, exactly what was missing from the Bristol food scene. We had the cheese and meat board, anchovies, chorizo (we ordered a second portion of this…), pan con tomate and croquettes….And then a few glasses of Pedro Ximenez. The wine (see picture) was gorgeous and we finished the night with the perfect churros and chocolate. Very much recommended, especially for anyone who feels nostalgic about that time you were on holiday in Spain and everything was so simple and perfect. Definitely returning soon.

Incredible food and friendly service. Cannot recommend highly enough

Amazing food and service, everything was delicious

We had an amazing dinner at Picaro! The wine (Alberino) was stunning, the food was fabulous, and the service was even better! Highly recommend and we will be back soon! Thank you Maria and Monica for a great night, your restaurant is wonderful 😊

Such an amazing authentic experience. Monica and Maria are so lovely it hurts. The best jamon in Bristol. ❤️ 11/10.

Great wine and tapas during the Chandos Road street party. Definitely a place to which to return.

Great and authentic Spanish food, owners made you feel welcome like you were part of the community and family. Would recommend going!

Tasty Tapas and lovely, friendly owners . Will definitely be revisiting 😊

Can really recommend this lovely restaurant. We had such a friendly welcome, and service. Great atmosphere and the food was delicious. The aubergine was amazing!

We had a lovely evening there. Recommended by our daughter. Delicious tapas, lovely wine and brilliant service and ambiance. Love this place will return when next visiting. Olwen x

Food was amazing, would definitely recommend!

Super-friendly local tapas restaurant, with a nice range of tasty classic tapas and a good wine list

Fantastic evening, excellent food, wonderful service, 11/10 would definitely come again! Would recommend the aubergines and the tomato/tuna/chickpea salad, and the basque cheesecake for desert - but it was all great so whatever you order you'll enjoy! Monica is a lovely senora!!

Monica has started a fantastic restaurant, the food is brilliant with a great variety to the menu. The hospitality is what is usually missing from restaurants these days, very warm and welcoming.

Authentic Spanish cuisine like being in Barcelona! Delicious.

Loved everything about this place. Will definitely be returning.

Food was great and reasonably priced.. but £30 for a sangria?

Lovely food, atmosphere and staff. Had a fantastic evening with very tasty food and the staff were really helpful in explaining anything on the menu, the food was delicious and we had a lovely chat to the owners who were lively and very welcoming. Will come again!

Amazing food, really friendly service, relaxed atmosphere! Will definitely be visiting more regularly!

Excellent - would happily go all the time!

Authentic Spanish tapas!!! The rest is nonsense.

Came for dinner with my partner. TLDR; for the price we paid the food was really not that impressive. The atmosphere is nice, feels authentically Spanish. And servers were friendly and attentive. Ordered a cava sangria (£35) was tasty but it wasn’t all that fizzy. Maybe we got the normal one by mistake, although we were charged for cava on the bill. Served about 4 small glasses so we’re talking >£8 a glass which does seem pricey for what it is but we figured “when in Spain” thinking we were in for a treat on the food. On the menu, the first like 8 options or so are various cold appetiser type of things: bread, cold meats, cheese, olives. I’m sure they’re delicious but we don’t tend to go for that when eating out as we can buy that stuff from a nice deli and make it at home. Get onto the cooked food, there are maybe another 8 or so options and 5/6 specials. A real focus on seafood which is cool. Although not a lot of nice looking vegetarian options. We ordered chorizo in cider which sounded interesting and 2 croquetas (has to be done) from the normal menu and then fried crab cakes, fried mixed seafood and octopus on potato from the specials. Maybe we picked the wrong things (although we also didn’t get much guidance/correction as we’ve had at other high end tapas places) but honestly were not that impressed by what we received. Croquetas were great, you can’t really go wrong there. Followed by the fried crab cakes, which were good but nothing special. It came with a green dip which didn’t really taste of much. Then the fried seafood mix arrived as a huge bowl of deep fried, battered fish/seafood bits with a tiny thing of that same green dip from before.. the fried bits kind of tasted a bit burnt and gritty and tbh we were overwhelmed by the amount of deep fry we had by that point. Also, didn’t really like that the prawns had their heads and tails on, I guess those bits are edible but they don’t have nice flavour or texture. Didn’t feel very thought through there. Next was the octopus on potato which was a nice respite from the deep frying. Octopus was cooked well and tender but the dish was also kind of bland tasting. It was okay. This was followed by the chorizo which I can only describe as an intensely salty explosion. Tasty chorizo and interesting flavour combination in the cider and onions sauce but just really salty. Thankfully it came with 3 bits of bread to balance it out a bit. But again, we were not not very wowed by it. We paid £84 in total so we’re definitely at the higher end of a meal out for 2. And at that price I expect to be blown away by the food, drink and service—which we were not in all honesty. We ate everything and it was okay but left still feeling a bit hungry but without being able to afford anymore dishes. I hate to leave bad reviews on nice, new and independent restaurants in Bristol. And this place has a lot going for it and nice, authentic food. But as the foodie experience we like to get from an expensive tapas restaurant, we left feeling really quite deflated and disappointed. I like to bite into tapas food I’ve paid a lot for and think “holy moly that’s delicious” but not one of the dishes we tried really did that for us, unfortunately.

Great food, even better service and a chance to practice or learn Spanish! Highly recommend for authentic tapas and pintxos and a great night out

We wanted to eat some good Spanish tapas and Pícaro has been one of the best choices. Mónica and María have been excellent hosts, they exude sympathy, desire and dedication. The food doesn't disappoint either, some authentic bravas, homemade sauces and good croquettes! We will return to try the rest of the menu :)

Friendly, welcoming venue and staff with authentic Spanish tapas, wine and other drinks. Would definitely visit again.

Fantastic place, delicious food and very friendly staff. Worth coming just for the decoration ❣️

Incredible food and wholesome vibes! The staff are so lovely and welcoming and the food only matches their nature. As a group of vegetarians going, we were not short on options to indulge in and the owner gave us advice as to quantities. From olives to churros every single dish was well balanced and presented beautifully. Everything felt authentic, giving us a taste of Madrid and the vibes of a mini holiday!

Just came back from an absolutely lovely meal at Picaro. I was there with a group of friends and we shared several tapas plates, which were all delicious. The staff could not have been friendlier to us and the atmosphere was really lovely. Such a nice family feel overall and fantastic food. Will definitely be coming back!

I have eaten at Picaro 3 times since it opened with a group of friends. Always amazing food, great amusing service as you can practise your Spanish and the place has good energy. Buen provecho!!!

Lovely atmosphere and great selection of tapas and the rose wine was beautiful. I highly recommend the berenjenas con molazas (aubergines with treacle) and patatas bravas of course! Thanks Maria and team

Amazing staff, amazing food, amazing environment! Felt like I was on holiday in rural Spain! incredible people running this place, and honestly... The best olives I've EVER eaten! Great booze, great food, great vibes! 100/100 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 couldn't recommend this place more! See u again ♥️♥️ xoxoxoxo

Very nice food, lovely atmosphere and welcoming people. It is so nice to have this beautiful addition on Chandos Road!

Well we enjoyed the most amazing time this evening. The selection of tapas from different regions of Spain were delicious, the Tempranillo wine and the café cortado all added to the very authentic Spanish atmosphere. It was almost like being in Spain and people on adjoining tables engaged in conversations. Excellent. I can thoroughly recommend Pícaro - but you must book - it's very popular!!

Some of the best tapas I’ve had in a long time! Really fun, cosy, authentic vibe inside and so much delicious food. The service was fantastic- all those who looked after us were absolutely lovely and attentive. My particular faves were the jamon croquettas, the pinxtos, patatas bravas were awesome and loved the cava sangria! Thanks so much- I’ll be back asap.

I visited as a group of three including two teenagers- the food was incredible! I will definitely be returning. It’s always a pleasure to chat with the owner Monica and the atmosphere at the restaurant was lively and very enjoyable especially given it was a Thursday evening

We made a reservation for 4 at Pícaro Tapas because we wanted to take two Greek friends somewhere special. But what we found was vulgarity. When we arrived the place was full, with no table available despite having reserved, and they sat us at the high bar of the sink, trying to sell us that this location is typical of Spain and stating that the possibility of us getting the 'sink table' ' was specified on the website (which we reviewed afterwards without finding that nuance). The tapas that we were able to try (because there were no bravas, no marineras...) had nothing to do with the Spanish ones. They had no flavor, no presence or quantity. The cold tortilla, the scarce pintxos, the meatballs without further ado, and the ridiculous dessert. The service from the kids was very nice and they made an effort, but the boss was not up to par. We felt embarrassed taking our friends there, we won't be back. If you want to try real Spanish food in Bristol, you have to go to Bravas, Gambas or Secret Café.

Tasteless spanish food and pretty poor service.

Loved the friendly atmosphere and incredible meat and Tapas selection at this tiny find of a restaurant

I couldn’t wait to visit Picaro. I tried their delicious chickpeas salad and Jamon tapas which I loved. I have absolutely appreciated the welcoming atmosphere and the kindness of the owners. Looking forward to coming back!

Amazing food, amazing service, lovely atmosphere. The owners are both brilliant, bringing a little piece of Spain in Bristol. Although small, meaning that we had to wait for our table for about ten minutes, we were sat as soon as there was a free table, just like in a lively Spanish tapas bar. Not a silver service, fine-dining, Michelin star restaurant, but a real, authentic experience, filled with laughter and character.

We had a disappointing experience at Picaro Tapas Bar. The place is nice and the menu looks interesting. However we didn't even get the chance to taste it because the service was poor, in fact, non existing in our case. We booked a table which was confirmed in advance and when we arrived we were told to wait at the bar until one of the tables finished. 35 minutes later we decided to go because we hadn't even been able to order some drinks, let alone any food. They did serve some people who came after us that went straight to a table. When we approached the owner to let her know, she literally apologized for 'forgetting about' us but didn't offer to sort out the situation in any way. Given that there must be about 10 tables in the restaurant, I think there is a lot of room for improvement in their customer service if they 'forget' to serve any of them.